Patent GB-1153466-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for Dispensing a Lubricant on a Hot Forging Die.
Inventor: HOWARTH GEOFFREY DOUGLAS
IPC: B21J3/00
Filed: 1966-11-08
Abstract: 1,153,466. Forgings. GRAPHOIDAL DEVELOPMENTS Ltd. 6 Nov., 1967 [8 Nov., 1966], No. 49916/66. Heading B3H. [Also in Division F2] An apparatus for dispensing a lubricant on a hot forging die includes valve mechanism and an electrical sensing unit, the latter being able to sense, without touching, the presence of a solid in a given location by reference to some pre-selected physical characteristic thereof, the sensing unit sending a signal to the valve mechanism for lubricant to be dispensed. The sensing unit may be an electric heat type which is able to sense a hot workpiece when disposed in close proximity to or trained upon a path along which the hot workpiece will move after removal from the die; and may have a number of heat-sensing elements arranged in parallel, each of which may include a photo transistor. The sensing unit may also be an electric induction type which is able to sense when the die is open. The valve mechanism may be operated by means of pneumatic pressure, signal conversion means being provided for converting electrical signals into pneumatic signals. The signal conversion means may be a solenoidoperated air valve. Manually-operable auxiliary control means may be provided. In an embodiment, apparatus for dispensing lubricant on the dies of a hot forging hammer installation comprises nozzles 10, 12 and a scale-blower line 14 directed towards the lower die. The upper die is lubricated on every stroke of the hammer whereas the lower die is lubricated at predetermined durations, the supply of pressurizedair in the scale-blower line 14 being interrupted when the lower die is being lubricated. Lubricant, which may be an aqueous dispersion of colloidal graphite, is supplied to the upper die when a ram, which carries said upper die, is raised and is sensed by means of a proximity sensing unit 24 which sends a signal to a solenoid-operated valve 22. The unit 24 may be adjustably positioned so as to vary the period of time that the ram is held in the raised position and thus vary the amount of lubricant supplied to the upper die. Thus pressurized-air flows from a source 48, through line 52, through the valve 22, along a line 54, through a shuttle valve 20, along a line 46 to a valve 18 from where it passes to the upper die nozzle 12, via a line 42. The shuttle valve 20, being connected to an additional source of pressurized-air by means of a line 56, may be actuated at the commencement of the forging operation so as to open the valve 18 and effect spraying of lubricant. The latter is supplied to the nozzle 12 by means of a delivery line 38 and to the nozzle 10 by means of a delivery line 36. The nozzle 10, which periodically lubricates the lower die, is supplied with pressurized-air from a source 44 which connects to a valve 16. When actuated by means of a signal from a heat-sensing unit 26 which senses a hot workpiece taken from the die, the valve 16 cuts off the flow of air to the scale-blower line 14 and opens a line 40 which leads to the nozzle 10. The valve 16 can also be actuated manually so as to allow pressurizedair to flow through the lines 44 and 40 to the nozzle 10 at the commencement of the forging operation.